Pearce strives for accountability in government

Lack of accountability irks constituents, congressman says

Constituents in the Second Congressional District of New Mexico are angry about the federal government's lack of accountability, double standards and over-spending, says U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce.

The Republican who represents the area was back in the state this month during the congressional "vacation," but was using the time for town hall meetings and first-hand visits to media outlets, civic groups and other key players in the district.

"We're working our way across the state, giving people a chance to see us," he said. During the Congressional session, visits back to New Mexico take place over weekends and are hurried, Pearce said. The break gives him more time to listen, see first-hand and catch up on issues, he said during an interview this week at the Ruidoso News.

The hottest topic he's encountered is the recently announced subsidy for members of Congress and their staffs to comply with Affordable Health Care Act requirements.

"I intended to opt out, but we also intend to make it a bigger story than that," he said. "You have your personal activity, but you also have a legislative role to play in that. We were discussing with staff yesterday what we can do legislatively, because it is offensive to me and offensive to people that we don't live by the same rules."

One of his staff members reminded him that it hasn't been determine how and if he can opt out of the subsidy.

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"What are they going to do, throw me in jail," Pearce said. "I'm fed up with the way Washington works, the deals. People are fed up with that too, They are tired of political deals, they want solutions and this is a political deal that is not a solution. Several trial balloons were floated up quietly before Congress when this came up and we, from day one, said we would fight any attempt to pass legislation that would exempt us. Our position is pretty well established over the past two months. They worked that thing just as we all were leaving for the August break. We were not there to even talk about it and it's infuriating that they would drop it on a Friday afternoon. It just smacks of the things that people are angry at Washington about."

Pearce supported a series of bills that passed the House aimed at restoring some of that seemingly lost government accountability, but he acknowledged that none may survive in the Senate. However, at the very least, the House will have shown initiative and proposed some solutions, he said. Then it will be up to the Senate, dominated by a Democrat majority, to explain the fate of the bills, Pearce said. The six bills are titled House Resolution 2565, the Stop IRS Act, HR 2879, the Stop Government Abuse Act, HR 1660, the Government Customer Service Improvement Act, HR 313, the Government Spending and Accountability Act, HR 2768, the Taxpayers Bill of Rights Act and HR 2769, the Stop Playing on Citizen's Cash Act.

"To put things in front of the American people and let them choose," is part of the reason time and effort was invested in the bills, Pearce said. "We say this and the Senate says no. You saw the Senate posturing for 60 days on reform of student loans, saying and screaming everything imaginable about us Republicans for passing it," he said. "On the same day as the insider trade of exempting ourselves, they quietly passed our bill with two minor sentence changes and the president now has signed it. So we put reform in front of them and they eventually had to act, because the people are saying, 'Wait. We've heard this junk about the mean Republicans. What is your solution?' They could not come up with a solution, so they acted."

"I think it is a very potent piece of what we do. So maybe nothing will happen with them, but if you want to know what makes people the angriest now, it is that government people can do anything and not get punished," he said. "If you or I didn't pay our taxes -- my brother didn't pay one year for about $15,000. The penalties and interest put it at $150,000 after three or four years. (Former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Timothy) Geithner's was $34,000 and no penalties, no interest. So there is no risk for him to do that. We have 300,000 employees of the federal government who pay zero taxes. Geithner was the only visible piece of that. It's $3 billion a year and we can't do anything. Yet people in the IRS are breaking the law doing the same thing that (the late President Richard) Nixon did, only they are doing for broad groups, and people are angry."

Democrats who talk to him are scared, many don't have Tea Parties in their districts and weren't aware of what was happening, Pearce said.

"I gave them four or five examples I know personally and that alarmed them and they said it was worse than Nixon," the congressman said. "I said I think so. That matter of accountability is something that makes people hostile and if the Senate chooses not to act, there are 20 plus Democrat senators up for election, and that is why they are having to make some of these concessions. They're saying, 'I'm not going to go the election with this on my record. I'm going with the Republicans.'

"Maybe it is only eyewash, but maybe they are the seeds of reform. We never know until we put it there."